Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Title
Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents
Description
Reports arrival of mail and asks them to thank everyone who sent him money. Agrees that they should number their letters to help identify any missing. Reiterates that they should buy themselves radio as he previously suggested. Catches up with family/friends news and gossip. Writes about his boxing, mentions that he has had photographs taken. Writes of weekly newspaper they are producing of 10000 words with drawings and cartoons. Mentions that tobacco and cigarettes have disappeared, hopes temporary. Reports they have heard that there are Red Cross parcels in Algiers awaiting transport.
Creator
Date
1942-01-26
Temporal Coverage
Spatial Coverage
Language
Format
Two page handwritten letter and envelope
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
EHudsonJDHudsonP-HE420126
Transcription
[postmarks]
[postage stamps]
[EXAMINER 4755]
[inserted] Jan. 26th/42 [/inserted]
MR. & MRS. H. E. HUDSON.
191. HALIFAX ROAD.
NELSON.
LANCASHIRE.
ANGLETERRE.
[page break]
FROM. SGT. J. D. HUDSON. 755052.
BRITISH INTERNED AIRMAN.
CAMP DES INTERNÉS BRITANNIQUES.
LAGHOUAT.
ALGERIÉ.
AFRIQUE DU NORD.
[inserted] 17 [/inserted]
[postmarks]
[OPENED BY]
[page break]
Royal Air Force. 755052. Sgt. J. D. Hudson.
c/o. Consul Général des États Unis.
Rue Michelet.
Alger. Algérie.
26-1-42 Afrique du Nord.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
I was very pleased to receive your letter of Dec. 21st on Mother’s birthday, the time when my thoughts were very much at home. I was also very pleased to receive your letter dated December 27th on January 23rd telling that you had spent a happy Christmas week-end at Horsforth. Will you thank all the people who sent me money for Christmas? I cannot remember the style of Jaffés, whether it is Co, Ltd. or Sons, or whatever it is. It is kind of Mrs. Clayton to send me a book along and I hope it will arrive safely. Your idea to number all the letters you write is a good one and should enable a check to be made on all those received. Regarding the wireless I asked you to buy, I don’t believe there is a shortage at all, & I repeat that it would give me a lot of pleasure if you would still buy one. We can get another one when I come home. I am glad to hear that my communal letter reached Caburley and I am now awaiting the inundation of replies, but I do wish something could be done to improve the delivery of my letters to you. I mentioned in my last letter to you that I had written to Mrs. Clayton & John expressing sympathy at Mt. Clayton’s death. I was really sorry to hear this news. It was a good show for Mother to receive 22 letters and 30 cards for Christmas and shows that many people are thinking about you. On Jan 23rd I received Miss Morton’s Christmas card which you sent along. I do hope that the apple tree Mother planted will have blossom, for her own sake, because she sounds so very thrilled about it.
[page break]
It was a very kind gesture on your part to offer to send boxing gloves out here, but like all other things it is forbidden, or perhaps I should say like most other things. As you remark it is difficult to send anything. The boxing instructor here, ex-Naval Lt. Weight Champion, D.F.C. D.S.O. wishes me to express to you his thanks. I had two ‘photos taken the other day – one alone, ie. Head & shoulders, and another with Riddick & Tony. I mentioned in two earlier letters that Tony, who has had press advertising experience, started running a weekly paper here which he calls the “Camp Echo” We recently acquired a second hand typewriter so I have taken on the task of typing the articles. We are doing the third typed issue this week and turn out about 10,000 words each time, together with drawings and cartoons. The other afternoon it was warm enough to work outside so we took a photo of the three of us at work – typewriter as well. Hope all these photos come out, then I shall send them along to you. We hope to be able to have [inserted] always [/inserted] our own private room for this journalistic enterprise of ours which is receiving 100% support from our officers & men. Cigarettes have suddenly disappeared from our horizon & pipe tobacco is practically non-existant [sic]. I have started pipe smoking to try & even things out but we are still very short – I hope this will be only temporary. I hear there are further Red Cross Parcels for us at Algar, no doubt awaiting transport, which is no small problem here. We received a terrific batch of parcels from them at Christmas & do we appreciate them? They form the basis of so much supplementary cooking. We can buy now from the town, carrots, turnips & onions so once again the stew campaign is in full swing. And now good-bye until next letter. With all my love, thoughts and best wishes
[underlined] Douglas [/underlined].
[postage stamps]
[EXAMINER 4755]
[inserted] Jan. 26th/42 [/inserted]
MR. & MRS. H. E. HUDSON.
191. HALIFAX ROAD.
NELSON.
LANCASHIRE.
ANGLETERRE.
[page break]
FROM. SGT. J. D. HUDSON. 755052.
BRITISH INTERNED AIRMAN.
CAMP DES INTERNÉS BRITANNIQUES.
LAGHOUAT.
ALGERIÉ.
AFRIQUE DU NORD.
[inserted] 17 [/inserted]
[postmarks]
[OPENED BY]
[page break]
Royal Air Force. 755052. Sgt. J. D. Hudson.
c/o. Consul Général des États Unis.
Rue Michelet.
Alger. Algérie.
26-1-42 Afrique du Nord.
My Dear Mother & Dad,
I was very pleased to receive your letter of Dec. 21st on Mother’s birthday, the time when my thoughts were very much at home. I was also very pleased to receive your letter dated December 27th on January 23rd telling that you had spent a happy Christmas week-end at Horsforth. Will you thank all the people who sent me money for Christmas? I cannot remember the style of Jaffés, whether it is Co, Ltd. or Sons, or whatever it is. It is kind of Mrs. Clayton to send me a book along and I hope it will arrive safely. Your idea to number all the letters you write is a good one and should enable a check to be made on all those received. Regarding the wireless I asked you to buy, I don’t believe there is a shortage at all, & I repeat that it would give me a lot of pleasure if you would still buy one. We can get another one when I come home. I am glad to hear that my communal letter reached Caburley and I am now awaiting the inundation of replies, but I do wish something could be done to improve the delivery of my letters to you. I mentioned in my last letter to you that I had written to Mrs. Clayton & John expressing sympathy at Mt. Clayton’s death. I was really sorry to hear this news. It was a good show for Mother to receive 22 letters and 30 cards for Christmas and shows that many people are thinking about you. On Jan 23rd I received Miss Morton’s Christmas card which you sent along. I do hope that the apple tree Mother planted will have blossom, for her own sake, because she sounds so very thrilled about it.
[page break]
It was a very kind gesture on your part to offer to send boxing gloves out here, but like all other things it is forbidden, or perhaps I should say like most other things. As you remark it is difficult to send anything. The boxing instructor here, ex-Naval Lt. Weight Champion, D.F.C. D.S.O. wishes me to express to you his thanks. I had two ‘photos taken the other day – one alone, ie. Head & shoulders, and another with Riddick & Tony. I mentioned in two earlier letters that Tony, who has had press advertising experience, started running a weekly paper here which he calls the “Camp Echo” We recently acquired a second hand typewriter so I have taken on the task of typing the articles. We are doing the third typed issue this week and turn out about 10,000 words each time, together with drawings and cartoons. The other afternoon it was warm enough to work outside so we took a photo of the three of us at work – typewriter as well. Hope all these photos come out, then I shall send them along to you. We hope to be able to have [inserted] always [/inserted] our own private room for this journalistic enterprise of ours which is receiving 100% support from our officers & men. Cigarettes have suddenly disappeared from our horizon & pipe tobacco is practically non-existant [sic]. I have started pipe smoking to try & even things out but we are still very short – I hope this will be only temporary. I hear there are further Red Cross Parcels for us at Algar, no doubt awaiting transport, which is no small problem here. We received a terrific batch of parcels from them at Christmas & do we appreciate them? They form the basis of so much supplementary cooking. We can buy now from the town, carrots, turnips & onions so once again the stew campaign is in full swing. And now good-bye until next letter. With all my love, thoughts and best wishes
[underlined] Douglas [/underlined].
Collection
Citation
James Douglas Hudson, “Letter from Douglas Hudson to his parents,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 23, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/22586.
Item Relations
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